                   QuickWin Graphics Application Help

The default menus in a QuickWin graphics application provide a complete set of commands for performing run-time tasks supported by the QuickWin specification. Additional program-specific menus and menu items may be added. The standard QuickWin menus are as follows:

File Menu

Edit Menu

View Menu

State Menu

Window Menu

Help Menu


                        File Menu

The File menu commands perform gross-level actions.

Command	Description
Print...	Opens the Print Setup dialog so that you can print a bitmap image of the current window.
Save...	Opens the Save dialog so that you can save a copy of the current window as a bitmap (.BMP) file.
Exit (Ctrl+C)	Stops the application.
File Menu Commands

Print...

Use this command to print a graphic image of the current window. The Print Setup dialog enables you to select a printer, to specify the paper orientation, and to select other printer-specific characteristics.

Save...

Use this command to save a copy of the current window as a bitmap (.BMP) graphic file. The bitmap image file is the size (in pixels) of the maximum window size set by the program. The bit depth (number of colors) is determined by the current screen settings set by the Windows control panel or by the program.

Exit (Ctrl+C)

Use the Exit command to stop execution of the QuickWin application and close its window(s). You can exit the program while it is running or suspended. If you choose Exit while the program is still running, the program aborts and any child windows or units opened by the program are closed.


                        Edit Menu

The Edit menu commands move text and graphics to and from the Clipboard.

Command	Description
Select Text	Allows you to select text written to the text layer of the window.
Select Graphics	Allows you to select any rectangular portion of the window as a bitmap.
Select All	Selects the entire contents of the active window as graphics.
Copy (Ctrl+Ins)	Copies the selected text or graphics to the Clipboard.
Paste	Moves text from the Clipboard to the application's paste buffer.
Edit Menu Commands

Select Text

This command pauses the program and prepares the current window so that you can mark a block of output text for copying. When you select this command, a highlight marker is placed at the first character position of the text layer in the window, and the phrase Mark Text is prepended to the windows title. For example, a window entitled My Window becomes Mark Text - My Window.

To mark text for copying, drag through a block of text with the left mouse button pressed. The window automatically scrolls as you drag to define a selection, so you can select an area larger than the current size of the window. The selected text is shown in reverse black and white. You can also use the keyboard to select text; use the arrow keys to move the cursor, and hold the Shift key down to make a selection. Once you have marked a block of text, use the Copy command to place it on the Clipboard for pasting.

Note

You can only use this command to select text that was written to the window as text output. Text that is part of a graphic display, text that is in a special typeface, and text that is rotated are all bitmap graphics and can only be selected with the Select Graphics command.

To cancel the selection without copying it to the Clipboard, you can either press ESC or select Resume from the State menu.

Select Graphics

This command pauses the program and prepares the current window so that you can mark a rectangular portion of the image for copying. When you select this command, the phrase Mark Graphics is prepended to the windows title. For example, a window entitled My Window becomes Mark Graphics - My Window.

To select a portion of the window, drag across it with the left mouse button pressed. A rectangle marks the borders of the current selection. The window automatically scrolls as you drag to define a selection, so you can select an area larger than the current size of the window. Once you have marked a portion of the window, use the Copy command to place it on the Clipboard for pasting.

To cancel the selection without copying it to the Clipboard, you can either press ESC or select Resume from the State menu.

Select All

This command pauses the program and selects the entire contents of the active window, including any text in the screen buffer but not visible in the window, for copying as a bitmap. When you select this command, a rectangle marks the entire contents of the window, and the phrase Select Graphics is prepended to the windows title. For example, a window entitled My Window becomes Select Graphics - My Window.

To cancel the selection without copying it to the Clipboard, you can either press ESC or select Resume from the State menu.

Copy (Ctrl+Ins)

The Copy command in a QuickWin application is not the same as the Copy command in other applications because a QuickWin application uses a special paste buffer to pass text into the program. When you copy text or graphics in a QuickWin application, it is placed in both the QuickWin paste buffer and on the Clipboard. Any data that was in the paste buffer or on the Clipboard before the Copy command was executed is replaced by the selected text or graphics.

Text or graphics placed on the Clipboard can be pasted to any application that recognizes the data type. You can also use text placed in the paste buffer to satisfy a QuickWin programs request for keyboard input. (For more about using copied text for program input, see the Paste command.)

After the selected text or graphic has been transfered, the title of the current window is restored to its original name, and the application resumes execution. If you copied text to the paste buffer, the Paste command is enabled.

Paste

The Paste command in a QuickWin application is not the same as the Paste command in other applications because a QuickWin application uses a special paste buffer to pass text into the program. When you copy text or graphics in a QuickWin application, it is placed in the paste buffer and on the Clipboard. If you copy text to the paste buffer, it can be used to satisfy a request for keyboard input. If the Clipboard is empty or contains data that cannot be pasted due to its format, the Paste command is grayed.

If you copy text in another application and then switch to the QuickWin application, it is automatically copied to the paste buffer, and the Paste command is enabled. When you select the Paste command, the contents of the QuickWin applications paste buffer is queued to be read by the program, and the message Paste input pending on the Status Bar reflects this state. Subsequent input statements use the contents of the paste buffer for input instead of waiting for keyboard entry.

To clear the input queue of the contents of the paste buffer so that you can revert to data entry with the keyboard, select Clear Paste from the Window menu.


                        View Menu

The View menu commands control how graphics in them are displayed within the program windows.

Command	Description
Size to Fit	Shows the entire logical graphics screen in the current graphics child window.
Full Screen (Alt+Enter)	Displays the selected logical graphics screen on the full screen.
View Menu Commands

Size to Fit

The Size to Fit command shrinks/stretches the logical graphics screen to fit the current graphics child window's size. A check appears next to the command when the logical graphics screen is in the Size to Fit mode. This command turns the Size to Fit mode on if it is currently off, and off if it is currently on.

Full Screen (Alt+Enter)

The Full Screen command displays the current graphics child window'soutput on the entire screen. The QuickWin user interface (menu bar, status bar, and others) is not displayed in this mode. To turn Full Screen mode off, click the mouse button once or press ESC.


                        State Menu

The State menu commands suspend and restart execution without exiting the application.

Command	Description
Pause (Ctrl+S)	Pauses the application.
Resume (Ctrl+Q)	Restarts the application.
State Menu Commands

Pause (Ctrl+S)

The Pause command suspends program execution and changes the command on the State menu to Resume. Use the Resume command to restart execution.

Resume (Ctrl+Q)

The Resume command restarts program execution after a Pause command and changes the the command on the State menu to Pause. Any highlighted text is returned to a non-highlighted state.


                        Window Menu

The Window menu commands control the appearance and attributes of the application's window.

Command	Description
Cascade	Arranges the application's windows that are not shown as icons so that they overlap with the window titles showing.
Tile	Resizes and arranges the application's windows that are not shown as icons so that they all fit inside the application window without overlapping.
Arrange Icons	Arranges the icons that represent the application's minimized windows along the bottom of the program window.
Input	Brings the window that is waiting for user input in front of the other program windows, and makes it the active window.
Clear Paste	Clears the paste buffer of any text or graphics..
Status Bar	Alternately shows or hides the status bar.
Window Menu Commands

Cascade

The Cascade command rearranges the application's open windows into an overlapping, cascaded pattern.

Tile

The Tile command rearranges the application's open windows into adjacent, non-overlapping windows.

Arrange Icons

The Arrange Icons command rearranges the application's minimized window icons into an evenly-spaced row(s) at the bottom of the screen.

Input

The Input command brings the window with input pending to the foreground (makes it the active window).

Clear Paste

The Clear Paste command removes the contents of the application's paste buffer.

The paste buffer contains text pasted from the Clipboard. The application uses the text as data for input statements rather than pausing the program and waiting for user input.

Status Bar

The Status Bar command shows or hides the status bar from the bottom of the application's window. A check appears next to the command when the bar is visible. This command turns the status bar on if it is currently off, and off if it is currently on.


                        Help Menu

The Help menu command displays information about the application.

Command	Description
Contents	Opens the QuickWin Application Help file to the contents topic.
Using Help	Displays information about how to use the help system.
About	Displays the application's About dialog box.
Help Menu Commands

Contents

This command opens the help file that you are currently reading and presents the Contents topic, which contains a list of menus and procedures.

Using Help

This command opens a help file that explains how to use Microsoft Help.

About

The About command displays the application's About dialog box. The About dialog box usually contains copyright and version number information (although QuickWin programs can change its contents).

‹Terms›

bitmap

A graphics format that presents an image as a grid of picture elements, or pixels. The image on the screen and in a programs windows can be created in a variety of ways, but the image itself is composed of colored pixels. The number of pixels per inch or across the screen, and the number of colors that can be shown in the image depend upon the program and the settings of the video graphics adapter in the computer.

The bitmap that you select or print from a window in a QuickWin application has the resolution and color characteristics that were defined by the program and the graphics adapter.

Clipboard

A temporary storage location used by Windows to transfer data between applications.

Paste buffer

Memory space reserved for text pasted from the Clipboard. Input statements automatically receive the buffer's contents.

screen buffer

Memory space reserved for text written to the screen (both visible text and text no longer visible because it scrolled beyond the window's edge).

graphics layer

Each window in a QuickWin application contains two different kinds of information:  graphics and text. The graphical output screen that emulates the system graphics video cards. Graphic elements drawn by the graphics routines are displayed on this screen.

text layer

Each window in a QuickWin application contains two different kinds of information:  graphics and text. Text is printed in a special area that overlays any graphics like a clear sheet of plastic over a picture. When the program writes output as text characters, they are put into this text layer. When you use the Select Text command on the Edit menu, you can mark a portion of this text layer to be copied.